Meet James Wertz | Carpenter

We had the good fortune of connecting with James Wertz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
From a young age I was infatuated with the idea of creating and building, both my grandpa and my dad are handymen so a lot of my weekend activities involved helping them restore, build, and create new things. As I got older I started creating things by myself, and taking on projects. At that time I never really thought I would be starting and running my own company. However, here we are. At the time I started my business, I was wrapping up my associates degree in architecture. Although I enjoyed studying architecture and learned a lot I didn’t see a path that suited my need for creating with my hands. As I was brainstorming what I wanted to do after college I stumbled across the idea of having my own business, which started out more handyman focused. However, as I have grown so has my business and I have found a love for woodworking, and thus now specialize in carpentry. Although it was difficult to get going it was well worth it. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
This past year I have moved into a place which has a garage big enough for me to have a shop. This has allowed me to really expand my tools and my portfolio as I have been able to take bigger projects on, such as built-ins, doors, and stand alone furniture. I look forward to all the projects that I will continue to work on.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I specialize in quality finish carpentry work. I have been fortunate to get some amazing jobs that were historic and high end carpentry work. I have done lots of work on historic homes in denver, building built ins, doors, trim, mudrooms, and all sort of other renovations to match the house’s time period. Quality craftsmanship is hard to come by. Studying the past and how craftsman 100 years ago used to build is what sets me apart from others in my trade. Especially at my age (21 years). I build things right with the best materials and construction methods. I care a lot about the work that I produce because my name is on every piece of furniture, trim, or door that I build. I care about my reputation and look to be a name in Denver people go to if they have an important job they want done right.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many wonderful spots in Denver, some of my favorites include mostly food outings, such as Park Burger, Cluck Chicken, and Sweet Cow, all near or on Pearl Street. However, other than food there are a lot of cool places to visit in Denver as well. Dever has a lot of local parks which are great to visit on a summer day with your dog, along with some nice basketball courts. My favorite spot is Wash Park as they have a variety of walking paths, beautiful big trees, and sports courts.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be where I am today without the help of fiancé Tara and my family. They have all been so supportive of my decision in not going back to school and starting this business. Tara has been able to help me on the administrative side by creating and building out my website as well as running my socials, which has been really helpful. And my dad is a great listening ear when I am brainstorming a tricky project, as we are able to bounce ideas off one another. I could not have made it to where I am today without them.

Website: https://jamesthehandyman.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesthehandyman_?igsh=djRxMmZmdWdmbnBx&utm_source=qr